Nocturnal activity and resource utilization in the aphid hyperparasitoid, Dendrocerus carpenteri |
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Authors: | WOLFGANG VOLKL PETRA KRANZ |
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Institution: | Department of Animal Ecology, University of Bayreuth |
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Abstract: | Abstract. - 1 Females of the aphid hyperparasitoid Dendrocerus carpenteri (Curtis) search successfully for hosts during both day and night. Oviposition numbers per host patch did not differ significantly between day and night.
- 2 D.carpenteri females also displayed a nocturnal flight activity, showing that they are not only capable of searching on a given host plant but also of dispersing between host plants.
- 3 Nocturnal oviposition activity was mainly influenced by egg load. Females with a high egg load laid more eggs at night than females with a comparatively low egg load. Thus, D.carpenteri females may use nocturnal foraging to compensate for the lack of oviposition opportunities during day.
- 4 D.carpenteri females which foraged continuously for hosts both day and night (= for 24 h per day) benefitted from an 1.4-fold increase in lifetime reproductive success when compared to females which foraged only by day (= for 16 h per day).
- 5 The benefit of night foraging for this species is a significantly increased reproductive success.
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Keywords: | Hyperparasitoid Dendrocerus carpenteri nocturnal foraging flight activity resource utilization egg load life-time fecundity |
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